All active students must be registered for nine credit hours during fall and spring semesters, and six credit hours during summer.
Students enrolling in their first semester will register for the first time following the department's Graduate Orientation session in mid-August. Continuing students will register for subsequent semesters during open registration windows. For specific registration dates in a given semester, please reference official academic calendars published by the Office of the Registrar. Students register for courses using ESTHER.
If you have any questions about registration, please contact your Graduate Program Administrator.
Required Coursework
Per the Graduate Handbook, course requirements for students enrolled in the English PhD program are as follows:
Students should always consult with their PAC before enrolling in courses each semester. Ph.D. candidates must successfully complete a minimum of 13 graduate courses of which at least 10 must be graduate seminars. The 13 required courses consist of:
- ENGL 600 (Topics in Literary Studies)
- ENGL 610 (Topics in Literary Studies II)
- ENGL 605 (Third-Year Writing Workshop)
- ENGL 510 (Pedagogy)
- Two pre-1800 literature seminars
- Two post-1800 literature seminars
- Five electives, at least two of which are seminars
With the approval of their PAC, students may enroll in ENGL 621 or 622 (Fall or Spring Directed Reading, respectively), either as a traditional directed reading course or as a 400-level English course to which a graduate component has been added. Enrollment in ENGL 621 or 622 may count toward the 13 required graduate courses but not toward the 10 graduate seminars. Students are also encouraged to take graduate seminars related to their areas of interest in other departments. These will count toward the thirteen-course requirement as electives.
On those occasions when students are interested in enrolling in upper-level undergraduate courses to round out their exposure to particular topics/fields, they should enroll in a graduate-equivalent section in order to receive graduate credit. The graduate section should differ significantly with respect to content, and its requirements must be commensurate with the standards and expectations of graduate-level courses.
Registration Schedule
A note regarding summer registration: No matter your progress in the PhD program, please make sure to always enroll in summer research hours. Students are not billed for tuition for registering in summer research hours (ENGL 705 or ENGL 800), and summer registration is a must for those who are receiving a stipend/fellowship or holding a paid position (including Hobby Fellows, teaching assistants and instructors for the department, PWC, or HRC, and research assistants) or for those who may defend in Summer term. To avoid potential issues with payments and additional steps when trying to defend, remember to always sign up for summer research hours!
Registering in Directed Reading/Independent Study Courses
Students registering for a directed reading/independent study course, need to complete two forms - one for registration purposes and the other to serve as an agreement between the student and instructor regarding expectations for the semester. The Graduate Special Registration Request Form needs to be completed and returned to the Office of the Registrar, and the Graduate Directed Reading/Independent Study Request Form should be completed and submitted to the student's Graduate Program Administrator.